The Local Bar

[Diesel 11]

What do you think of The Local Bar, a forum I've made? thelocalbar.proboards.com

[jrijr]

At first glance...

* The background is way too busy for me.  It conflicts with the blue/white color scheme on the boards as well.  
* I would consider moving the Shout Box to the top.  That way users will see that immediately, and take advantage of it (if they choose).
* There are a lot of forums on the board.  Perhaps consolidating some of the beer/wine and general topics, so that people know exactly where to go to post (and not feel lost with so many options).
* Is "The Local Bar" supposed to be for a specific place/business/website?  I'm not sure what the purpose of the forum is.

No intent of being rude... just first observations.

Good luck!

[Former Member]

Like: Catchy theme/topic. I understand that it is about the bar scene, right?

-I would get a background that is more fluid with the forum and not as busy looking as jrijr stated.
Oh another idea is to hae a solid color background and then use images of beer mugs or bottles that is used in a bar,in place of the folder icons.It may be difficult to find a background img that will fit with the forums topic.
Also IMO there are too many categories.
I would place the politics up where the news category is.
Bar discussion-in place of the order a drink category.
Thats all I can think of right now.

Good luck with your forum. I will let you know if there is something else.

[Diesel 11]

Thanks for the opinions! To explain:

The background is way too busy for me. It conflicts with the blue/white color scheme on the boards as well.

I also don't think it looks right, which is why I've created several different backgrounds.

I would consider moving the Shout Box to the top. That way users will see that immediately, and take advantage of it (if they choose).

Well, I've always liked it at the bottom, and that's the only place I've see it on other forums.

There are a lot of forums on the board. Perhaps consolidating some of the beer/wine and general topics, so that people know exactly where to go to post (and not feel lost with so many options).

I good suggestion, and one that I might actually do, but since I'm the only one there so far, I don't really think it's necessary.

Is "The Local Bar" supposed to be for a specific place/business/website? I'm not sure what the purpose of the forum is.

It is not. It is just the name to convey the idea of being in a bar and discussion random things with the others next to you.

I would get a background that is more fluid with the forum and not as busy looking as jrijr stated.
Oh another idea is to hae a solid color background and then use images of beer mugs or bottles that is used in a bar,in place of the folder icons.It may be difficult to find a background img that will fit with the forums topic.
Also IMO there are too many categories.
I would place the politics up where the news category is.
Bar discussion-in place of the order a drink category.

As I said, I've created several different backgrounds, and the rest will be worked out when more people join.

Thanks ever so much for the suggestions. I appreciate it!

[Mixed]

Hello Diesel 11,

This morning, I hope you give you some good pointers. What I normally do is start off with first impressions and then explore the forum as a guest. I will bring forward things I like and things I feel could use improvements. Ready? Let's start.


First Impressions:                                    
Whoa! That background is just TOO much. As a guest and potential member and would see that and would really rather leave than continue to explore.


Color Scheme:                                          
While I did notice you got the background comments before, I feel you must acknowledge it if you want to attract members to join your forum. If you have other skins available for use, why not set one that is more to YOUR liking (since you mentioned you didn't feel right about this one) and less obtrusive to the experience as the default? I think the picture you used for the background might work well as the forum banner. Just stretch it across the top rather than repeating it and I think it could really work. Maybe then, you could also get your forum title to sit underneath the bar on the bar wall so it would be better seen and more aesthetically pleasing.

Rule of thumb: if 4 people (3 here and one in your shoutbox) are telling you something is a deterrent, it probably really is.

Also in the topic of color schemes, I would suggest you change the color used in your forum. Yes, you want something to contrast the forum background you ultimately end up choosing. Still, this one feels much too like the default ProBoards colors. Play with it. Have fun but don't go too wild.


Layout:                                                       
Again, it feels a little default. Even adding a sidebar with perhaps important links and staff information could break up the standard-feel of the layout.

Now I'll look down your boards and categories. You have 8 categories and 16 boards. I feel you have a good number of boards for a new site but too many categories, especially since 3 only have 1 board each. You could probably reorganize your boards and put them under a more general category to give your forum a less scattered feel. Also, considering your forum is a discussion forum, having both a "general discussion" and "bar discussion" feels a little redundant. Yes, I realize one is for discussing the site. Maybe put this in the "Entering the Bar" Category with your other site-specific boards. I would probably also rename your "general discussion" to be "miscellaneous" or something like that since the entire forum is a general discussion board.


Random Point:                                            
"Ask a Stupid Question, Get a Stupid Answer!"? Doesn't seem very welcoming actually. You probably meant it as a joke but it really doesn't exude hospitality like a regular bar would. Guests will read down the last post column to get a feel for the forum. Having empty boards is a bit of a disappointment but if one last post title (1 out of 3) puts you off, it's less likely a visiting guest will join.

I'm sorry. It's good to include your character in your boards, but maybe hold back a bit until they get to know you a bit more as an admin.

Maybe in your Introductions board you could introduce yourself a bit more rather than just say "get discussin'". Let potential members feel welcome. Often people will peruse a forum for a small while before joining because they want to get a feel for it. Right now, I think the Local Bar has a very brisk feel.


Rules:                                                          
As I normally do, I read your forum rules for clarity and succinctness. Yours are short, clear, and to the point. Maybe as your forum expands, you may need to expand on this or even include points about rewards and such for best debate or discussion point.


Overall:                                                       
I think you have a good start to a potentially great discussion forum. The theme could be very nice, and likely if you added content to start the discussion, people would start to join. Members like active admins. It gives them the impression that this forum will stick around for a long time.

Starting this review, I had hoped to have a few more things that I liked for you but I guess it is so much a work in progress, the suggestions for progress took forefront. I do like the picture you have, for example; I just think it would work better as a banner than a repetitive background.

I wish you luck and I hope you have fun building up a successful bar-themed discussion forum.

[Diesel 11]

Thanks!

With the color scheme: Though it seems a bit off, I can't think of anything else that'd work as a default.

'Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer' is a game to play in the Game Board.

Overall, thanks!